Six Styles
by Misgiving Writer
Summary: For each chapter, there is a different style of writing. A different story being told. Six in total, all pushing the very limits of my standard writing style.
1. drabble

A/N: Hello everyone! Don't be fooled by the lack of writing this time around. I know it's short. It's supposed to be - for below is a drabble that is exactly 100 words long. Why did I do this? Simple. It's for the Six Styles Challenge on the Warriors Challenge Forum. Day One, or part one as I refer to it as, was a drabble. It will be the shortest thing I write, guarunteed.

Also, please check out the forum! There's a link to it in my profile page - I promise that it's a blast!

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><p>They all start out with different goals. With different paths that they want to follow and different dreams that they want to reach. Leader, healer, mother, lover - someone to be proud of and to fight beside.<p>

But...

_We will fight as one! _

Somewhere along the way...their dreams change.

It is no longer their goals or their aspirations that they live for. It is not themselves that they would die for. No, it is for each other. It for their brothers, their sisters, their leader, and their clanmates. For each other.

They are warriors. And they will never give in.


	2. pov

A/N: Another part of this challenge! And, by this point, I feel the need to point out that these really aren't my best pieces of work. It's just that, for this, I'm completely pushing my boundries. Other pieces of work will be better. Just...Give me a chance, please.

This part of the challenge was to write in a Point Of View style that I don't normally use. So this is my version of first-person. Can you tell why I don't write like this very often? Anywho, let me know what you think please!

And don't forget! Check out the Warriors Challenge Forum!

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><p>I'm a warrior. Proud, brave, and strong. Robinfoot is my name, fresh out of apprenticehood, and that's what I tell whoever cares to listen. Not many cats want to hear it though - I'm not sure why but I'm not the most liked cat in Thunderclan. See, my clan isn't as popular as it used to be. As it <em>should<em> be. Not now, in the Age of Shadow. There are too many Dark Forest cats out there, _alive _and _among us_, that have come from out clan.

I should know. I've had to deal with plenty of them myself. In fact, my mentor was nothing but a traitor. The worst of the worst - a kit killer. She was also the former leader of our clan. Her name was Littlestar and, for a good portion of my life, I thought she was the bravest she-cat around. Then she betrayed me, she betrayed her mate, and she lost the trust of her clan.

We drove her out. Foxstar is leader now - but I don't like him. He isn't trust-worthy, that much I can tell. It's in his bright blue eyes and the way he moves, bright ginger pelt turning to fire in the sun.

Foxstar isn't going to be good for our clan.

I haven't said anything though. Not yet. Even though I _know_ where he's going each night when he leaves the camp, coming back each morning with damp fur and guilt in his eyes. Do you know why I haven't said anything yet? No? I didn't think so. Not many do - and those who do know the reason never understand.

Maybe you'll be different.

_Badgergrowl._

It's because of him that I have my warrior name, my dream of becoming deputy, and the strength I need to protect my clan. Badgergrowl was one of our senior warriors. He was also my best friend and the only cat who ever believed I could become anything.

Unfortunatly, Badgergrowl had a nasty temper. Seven moons ago, he led an unauthorized raid on Windclan; ordering the deaths of kits, queens, elders, and warriors a like. Upon his return to camp, Littlestar ordered his death, right there at the foot of the Highrock.

No cat got his side of the story. They didn't want it. But I did and so I listened and I asked and I demanded, going straight to the leader of Windclan himself. By doing that I learnt that Windclan was responsible for the death of Streakpaw, Badgergrowl's apprentice.

I told Littlestar but she didn't care. No one cared - just me. I was the only one that remembered when Badgergrowl saved our elders from the forest fire three moons ago. The only one that thought of that time that Badgergrowl helped lead us to victory against Shadowclan. The only one who thought of him as a brother, a father, and a best friend more so than I considered my only family to be that.

I'm sure you're all trying to figure out how a dead cat is why I've said nothing about Foxstar, aren't you? Well, it's actually very simple.

Badgergrowl told me not to. Just four days ago, actually, when he was out training me in the forest. He told me not to, so I won't.

I'm a warrior. Proud, brave, and strong. Robinfoot's my name, fresh out of apprenticehood, and the cat that guides my pawsteps, that is always there when I need something, is a cat of the Dark Forest.


	3. all speech

A/N: Gagh! I hate doing all speech! It makes me question my abilities as an author...But, like all the other chapters, this was written for the Six Days challenge on the Warriors Challenge Forum. Feel free to stop by and take the challenge yourself!

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><p>"What did you <span>do<span>?"

"_Mintpool? What are you going on about?_"

"Don't act like that, Berrysplash! Don't act like I don't know that you did that!"

"_Mintpool, please stop yelling. You're going to bring the rest of the clan here!_"

"Oh, and of course you don't want them out here. That would just ruin everything for you, wouldn't it?"

"_Mintpool...you don't understand._"

"You're right, Berrysplash. I don't understand. I don't understand why you did that!"

_"Because it had to be done!"_

"No, it didn't!"

_"Mintpool-"_

"No! I don't want to hear an excuse, I want you to tell me why you helped Riverclan attack our camp!"

_"It was for the better good, Mintpool! I swear to you that it was!"_

"Really? Was Icecloud's death something that had to happen then? Or Blackpaws? That doesn't seem like something that had to happen! It's not something that should have happened!"

_"But it did!"_

"Why? Tell me that, Berrysplash. Tell me why that had to happen. Tell me why you betrayed your clan!"

_"That's just it! I didn't betray anyone!"_

"You didn't? You don't think that what you did was betrayle?"

"_It wasn't; because I didn't betray the clan! I made a deal with Greystar so that, after this, they won't bother us anymore. She promised to stop hunting in our territory if they won this fight. So I helped them win."_

"You helped them murder our clan-mates!"

_"I just saved our clan-mates! Everyone here is starving, Mintpool! As the Medicine Cat, you should know that! Everyone that has died from starvation this leaf-bare, everyone that caught green cough, everyone that we had to bury this moon alone...I just found a way to prevent us from losing cats like that a second time!"_

"You're right, Berrysplash. I'm the Medicine Cat. Do you know what else I don't understand? That you're the deputy and you've still led cats to their death on purpose! I don't care if you did it to stop prey-theft! I don't care if you did it because you thought we would never have to fight another battle! You still killed cats willingly!"

"_Mintpool..."_

"You killed my brother, Berrysplash. You killed him today, with your own two paws. There is nothing that you, Elmstar, or Starclan themselves could say to make that better."

_"Mintpool, I am so sorry! I didn't mean for Adderstripe to get killed out there, you have to believe that."_

"I don't care if you meant it! You still did it. Now, you have to live with that fact."

_"You're going to tell the clan?"_

"...No. You are. Otherwise, I guaruntee that Starclan will forever stain your paws red."

_"..."_

"That's what I thought, Berrysplash. Try and tell Starclan that you didn't mean to murder them. Better yet, when you see them tonight, tell them that yourself."


	4. no speech

A/N: Yet another update in this little challenge. I only have two more styles to write in!

Again, this is for the Six Styles Challenge on the Warriors Challenge Forum. Please, feel free to stop by and have a look around!

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><p>It's near moon-high and the camp is silent.<p>

Above the cats, Silverpelt shines bright. The small flecks of light break through the black night, providing almost more light then the small sliver of moon that is out. On most nights, this sight would fill the cats of Thunderclan with the warmth that came with knowing their ancestors were looking down on them. They would curl up in their dens or stretch out in the middle of the camp, sleeping away the worries of the day.

Tonight is different though. Tonight marks the end of a three moon long fued with Windclan. It is also a night filled with vigils for all those who fallen in this battle.

Mousepaw.

Featherbreeze.

Goldpetal.

Hawkwing.

And others, more than a single battle has ever killed.

They are all carefully arranged in the center of the camp, the light from the stars dancing across their pelts. Never again to hunt or fight with their clan. Never again able to share tounges or share thoughts. At least not in this life.

Many of the clan are not able to mourn. They are confined to their nests or, in the case of two, they are confined to the nests of their Medicine Cats Den. Their wounds are too grave to venture out and stay up the entire night.

One cat refuses to listen to Ashflicker, their Medicine Cat. Her name is Browndapple and she is the mother of young Aspenpaw. Both she-cats were in the fight. Browndapple is the only one that survived.

Now, despite that every step she takes sends a ripple of pain through her chest, Browndapple makes her way into the clearing. Around her, clan-mates step out of the way. They dip their heads in respect, glass-like eyes full of sympathy - and, in some, understanding.

She lays down next to her fallen daughter, burying her nose in Aspenpaw's dark tabby pelt. Browndapple can still scent the unique odor that has always floated around her child; it smells of moss and mint and fresh kill. And the distinct tang of blood that covers so much of the clearing. It is hard to believe that her bright bundle of energy is gone now, off to join her older brother and her father. It is hard to believe that she is now alone in the camp, because while she might be surrounded by others, Aspenpaw was her only kin. It is hard to believe these things and many more, but Browndapple knows that she must.

She must accept that Aspenpaw is dead. That is the only truth there is. That and that, as a warrior, this was an unavoidable fate.

It's near moon-high and the camp is silent.


	5. poem

A/N: It's a poem. Therefore, it has the right to be short. ^.^' This is, in brief words, the mind of every cat in the series. Of what a warrior thinks and what the clan thinks, as new problems arise. Tell me what you think!

And, as always, check out the Warrior Challenge Forum!

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><p>Tough times come in like waves,<br>Trying to take down all that stand in its way.

They try to break you down,  
>Make you lose your way.<p>

They come in many forms,  
>Different shapes and sizes.<p>

Uncaring whether you've done good,  
>Whether you've been wronged.<p>

Its only goal is to waste your time,  
>Make you lose your mind.<p>

But you keep on going strong,  
>Don't stop 'cause you think you're wrong.<p>

Walking further than you thought you could,  
>Breaking limits that shouldn't have been there.<p>

Watch the dark clouds roll away,  
>Leaving behind a silver lining bright as the sun.<p>

And you keep fighting,  
>And the tough times keep coming,<br>And you keep moving forewards,  
>And nothing will stand in your path.<br>And you are a warrior.


	6. songinspired story

_A/N: Gah! None of my line-breaks saved! Now I have to go through and re-do them all! *is sad* So, anywho, this is the final piece for my Six Days Challenge. It is a challenge started on the Warriors Challenge Forum (link in my profile), and rather fun! This final piece was a song-inspired story, written to the song Prayer Of The Refugee by Rise Against. I hope that you all enjoy it!_

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><p><em>Warm yourself by the fire, son<br>And the morning will come soon,  
>I'll tell you stories of a better time,<br>And a place that we once knew..._

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><p><em>"Momma?" Sparrowkit asked, peering up at Sandcloud with his large amber eyes. <em>

_The tan pelted queen paused in her grooming, tilting her head in the kit's direction. As it always did when she looked at him, a pang of guilt and sorrow swept through her. The young tom was in such pityful shape. His dark pelt, though clean, had dulled to a shade twice as light as it should have been. It clung to his hips and his ribs, shaping him into the form of an elder instead of the young and vibrant cat he should have been.._

_A long and rough leaf-bare had robbed Thunderclan of much of its prey and much of its strength. A bout of green cough robbed them of their hope - and of their kits, as five out of the seven kits in the nursury had fallen to the illness. _

_Sparrowkit was the only one out of Sandcloud's litter that had survived. Flightkit, a small and sickly she-cat, was the only other kit to live through the season._

_"Yes, Sparrowkit?" Sandcloud purred, standing up and crossing the nursury as she did. It was so empty now, with only two queens in need of a nest under the briars._

_"I want to go outside and play! Can I?" Sparrowkit bounced to his feet as he spoke, running through one of the unused moss nests to meet up with his mother. "Pleeeaase?"_

_Sandcloud purred again, dipping her head to lick her son on one of his ears. "Of course you can, Sparrowkit. Just be sure not to get in any of the warriors way. Understand?"_

_"Yes, Momma." Sparrowkit mewed obidiantly. He took a few rushed steps away from the queen, eager to get outside and find a leaf to practice his stalking on, before he stopped and swung back around to face the tan she-cat. "If Flightkit promises to stay out of the way too, can she come out with me?"_

_He loved playing with the grey she-cat. As far as Sparrowkit was concerned, Flightkit was the one who came up with the best games. Besides, if he got lonely when he was outside with the rest of his clan, he was sure that she must have been getting really lonely sitting in the nursury all day!_

_Purr catching in her throat, Sandcloud turned her light green gaze onto the other duo of cats that she shared a den with. _

_Mintfrost was curled up in her nest of moss and soft leaves, head resting on her forepaws and eyes closed. Beside her, nestled into the white fur of her mothers stomach, Flightkit lay shivering. The young she-cat looked worse than Sparrowkit did in ways. Her fur dull and ungroomed, her body wracked with almost violent shakes, flesh clinging to bone like a cat near starvation. It sent another pang through Sandcloud, who couldn't help but ask herself why Starclan had kept so much prey from them._

_"No, Sparrowkit." Sandcloud said softly. "Flightkit can't go outside with you today._

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><p>"Swiftfoot." Rabbitstar mutters quietly, taking a seat next to her deputy.<p>

The white and black tom looks up from his meal, a scrawny mouse that had been caught earlier that day, and dips his head in respect. "Yes, Rabbitstar?"

And, for a moment, Rabbitstar doesn't say anything. Just stares out at the cats that she has grown up with. She knows what needs to be done, what her clan must do if they want to survive, but she doesn't know if they are willing to do it. Were she in their place, she knows that she wouldn't. Not when the risks are so great and the chance of success so little.

Sensing his leaders hesitation, Swiftfoot follows her gaze.

At first glimpse, all he can see is a clan resting between duties. He sees Robinheart and Thistlepelt sharing toungues next to the warriors den. Sundapple stands outside of her den, instructing her apprentice on which herbs need to be gathered and what warrior should accompany him. Stretched in a spot of sun just outside of the elders den is Ashflower, crouched beside her is the young tom Shadedpaw. It is just an ordinary scene to those that don't know. But Swiftfoot does know.

He knows that Robinheart and Thistlepelt have been on their feet since sun-rise, trying to find some prey to bring to their clan.

He knows that Sundapple is rushing Smokepaw through his apprentice-ship, trying to prepare him for the wounds that he will no doubt face in the next moon.

He knows that Shadedpaw is only there, at Ashflower's side, because everyone is waiting for the old she-cat to join Starclan. He wants to make sure that, when the time comes, someone is there to help her go peacefully.

Their clan is falling. Swiftfoot can see this and he knows that it is what his leader sees as well.

He turns dark gold eyes onto his leader, pushing the remains of his mouse towards her with one black paw. "You need to eat, Rabbitstar."

The cream she-cat looks down at the mouse, distaste in her eyes. There is little more than two mouthfulls left on its body, yet Rabbitstar knows that Swiftfoot had just gotten it from the fresh-kill pile.

"How can I?" She asks. "How can I, when my clan has so little to eat?"

"Thunderclan needs a leader." Swiftfoot tells her.

Rabbitstar looks at him, at the tired look in his eyes and the ribs that she can see despite his thick pelt, and she shakes her head. "No. What Thunderclan needs is prey."

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><p><em>"Sparrowkit. Do you swear to follow the warriors code? To protect your clan with your life, if need be?" Rabbitstar asked, voice solemn as she looked down at the young tom.<em>

_In the rapidly waning light of dusk, Sparrowkit's well groomed pelt seemed to be darker than normal. The black streaks that ran through his fur were almost unnoticable. But the pride in his light amber eyes was clear, as was the scent of excitement that seemed to exhude from him._

_"I do." Sparrowkit meowed. Despite his best offers, he couldn't keep the tremor out of his voice when he spoke._

_"Then, by the powers given to me by Starclan, I give you the name of Sparrowpaw." Rabbitstar said, taking a step forward to close the gap between herself and the new apprentice. She dipped her head and touched his nose, then straightened up and turned her gaze onto the clan._

_Sparrowpaw would be the first apprentice Thunderclan had in almost two seasons. There were many warriors ready to take him on. Many that could properly teach the young cat the way of the warrior and guide his pawsteps as they should. Yet no one had asked for him to be given to them - they were too busy worrying about feeding their kin to train a young cat, they had told her, too tired and run-down to take the time to worry about him too. So she had been forced to decide on her own._

_"Nettlestorm! You were trained well by Harescar and you have proven yourself, time and time again, that you are a valuable cat in our clan. You will be Sparrowpaw's mentor. Teach him all that you know." Rabbitstar announced._

_A look of surprise flitted across the dark tabby's face before he stood up and limped his way to where she stood at the foot of the Highrock. Letting out a deep purr, Nettlestorm reached down to touch noses with Sparrowpaw. When the young tom met him half-way, his purr was drowned out by the shouts of clanmates, all calling out the apprentice's name. When they parted, there was nothing but glee in Sparrowpaw's eyes._

_To say that Rabbitstar was delighted would be an understatement. She had chosen Nettlestorm to be Sparrowpaw's mentor, not because the older tom was a wonderful warrior, but because he would not be missed on hunting patrols. She had not expected for Sandcloud's son to be happy with his mentor. _

_After all, few cats were ever happy to be paired with Nettlestorm. Not since he was mauled by a badger, leaving behind a thickly scarred face and shoulder, and a twisted forepaw that erased all abilities to stalk or run properly._

_But Sparrowpaw was delighted to have Nettlestorm teach him. In his eyes, Nettlestorm wasn't a liability. He was a cat filled with stories and advice, countless techniques that had been adjusted and tweaked, creating a new fighting style all of his own. And the prospect of learning that amazed him._

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><p>"Lie to them." Swiftfoot says, pressing his nose into the cream fur of his leaders shoulder. "Lie to them if that's what it takes! It will be worth it."<p>

Rabbitstar nods, but a part of her wonders if it really will be. In the past, when leaders have decieved their clans, it has brought nothing but more pain. Will this time be any different? Will Starclan understand that, if she doesn't want to watch her kin die, one by one, then this is something that she has to do?

She doesn't know.

Swiftfoot doesn't know either, though he tells her that their ancestors will understand. That they won't blame her for her words, not when it is the only choice they have been left with.

Taking a deep breath, Rabbitstar nods again. She knows that, without her deputy, she wouldn't have the nerve to make this announcement. "I know that it will be."

The black and white tom takes a step away from her, twitching his tail towards the camps exit as he does. "The patrol will be back soon. You should tell them then."

Rabbitstar nods and then, while he walks away to join the other warriors, she stays and waits. When the hunting patrol returns, with nothing but two mice to show for their efforts, she tightens the muscles in her hindlegs and leaps onto the top of the rock that makes up her den.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here before me, at the Highrock!" She yowls.

Slowley, from all corners of the camp, cats start to make their way over to her. There is weariness in their eyes, acceptance in their steps. They expect bad news, Rabbitstar knows. They expect to be told that Shadowclan has been scented in their territory again, or that Windclan has announced plans to take more of the forest as their own territory.

They do not expect, once the entire clan gathers before her, Rabbitstar to look down at them with a smile dancing in her eyes.

"Starclan has spoken to me!" She calls out, aware of Sundapple's eyes on her. "And they have given me hope!"

"They have?" Berrybloom, an elder, demands.

"Yes!" Rabbitstar meows, nodding her head once. After that, she has to raise her voice to be heard over the cries of her clanmates. "Starclan has told me that they do not want our clan to die! They want us to live, continueing to be the fourth clan of the forest! But they cannot ease our suffering on their own."

Distraught, Sandcloud calls out, "But what can we do that we haven't already tried?"

And this is where it is hard. This is where Rabbitstar has to hunt Swiftfoot down in the crowd, locking eyes, just to continue speaking. "We have to fight. Not ask them to leave! Not try to hunt enough prey in this drought while two other clans use our territory! We have to fight! And we have to fight as one!"

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><p><em>"I can't believe that Nettlestorm said he'll make you a warrior soon!" Flightkit meowed happily, sitting down next to Sparrowpaw.<em>

_"I know!" The tom agreed, not taking his eyes off of the glistening stars of Silverpelt as he spoke. He didn't have to. By now, he knew everything about the she-cat sitting beside him; from the way her dark grey fur was no doubt made lighter by the glow of the stars to the fact that, from the moment she sat down beside him, she would be looking at the same swath of bright lights that he was._

_It was almost moon-high, but niether cat were able to sleep. Both had snuck out of their dens to meet here, as they often did. It was the only place they could speak openly. The only time that Sparrowpaw didn't feel like he should be training and the only time that Flightkit knew she wasn't being judged._

_For a while after that, the duo sat in silence. Flightkit had already congratulated the apprentice for his mentors announcement. Really, there wasn't much for Sparrowpaw to ask the she-cat about. Life in the nursury was a dull and boring thing, even when the one living there wasn't really a kit anymore._

_A small, whisp of a cloud blew over the swath of stars that Sparrowpaw was watching. He went to get up, to go and get some sleep, when Flightkit spoke._

_"Do you think they'll ever let me become a warrior?" She asked. And, while her voice was soft, her words still managed to slice through the quiet of the night and through Sparrowpaw's heart._

_"Of course they will!" He meowed. "You've gotten so much healthier, Flightkit! I'm sure that Rabbitstar will make you an apprentice soon! And then she won't have a choice but to make you a warrior, right?"_

_Flightkit gave a slow nod, but her light green eyes told Sparrowpaw that she wasn't convinced. "I guess."_

_"Flightkit...I know that you'll be a great warrior one day. I promise you that!" Sparrowpaw insisted, stepping closer to the she-cat and pressing his nose into the soft grey fur of her shoulder. He could smell moss and lavender and the ever-present odor of sickness; a smell unique to Flightkit alone. _

_They parted ways after that, each returning to their dens. _

_The next morning, Sundapple announced that Flightkit would once again be confined to the medicine cat den._

* * *

><p>"We'll send a patrol out to Shadowclan and Riverclan." Rabbitstar paces back and forth as she talks, mussing up the leaves and moss that make up the floor of her den. Across from her, listening intently, sits Swiftfoot. "Windclan is too far gone. They won't listen to anything we say and, at the moment, they're too strong to fight."<p>

"You think Shadowclan will listen to us?" Swiftfoot asks, tilting his head. "They didn't the last time we sent cats to speak with them."

"We aren't just going to speak to them, though!" Rabbitstar exclaims. There is a lilt to her voice that hasn't been there for many moons. A strength to her words that soothes any worries her deputy might have - though, by this point, he trusts his leader whole-heartedly. "We're going to give them a warning. That they have four nights to surrender to us. To give back the prey they have stolen and to swear that they will no longer trespass over our boarders. If they don't, then we will attack them."

The black and white tom nods and wraps his tail around his paws. "And Riverclan? They told us at the beginning of this war that they wouldn't be getting involved. They aren't going to help us fight."

A growl working its way up her throat, Rabbitstar drops to her haunches. She knows that Riverclan has promised not to get involved. She knows this well - as she was the cat who went to their camp, who begged Pebblestar for prey or warriors or anything to help keep the other cats in their own territories. She was the one that he told 'no'. There will be no cats from that clan aiding in the upcoming battle.

"I'm going to ask them to let our kits and elders stay in their camp." She tells her deputy. Before he can open his mouth to answer, she pushes foreward. "I don't trust Badgerstar. Once we state that we plan on fighting back, he's going to try and strike first. We've already lost so many cats who were unable to fight! I will not let any more of them die, Swiftfoot! Not without trying to save them!"

After all, isn't it in the warrior code that no cat could deny a kit in trouble? And isn't it just decency to extend that rule to the elders? Or the sick? Those who can't defend themselves. Who can't fight back and would stand no chance if the camp was raided.

Pebblestar might not be willing to risk his own warriors lives for a clan that isn't his own, but Rabbitstar knows that he won't deny a nest or two for the few cats she plans on sending to him.

"Just the kits and the elders. Maybe a queen to take care of them, so that Pebblestar's own cats will not be burdened." Rabbitstar explains. Then she pauses, turning wide eyes onto her deputy. "What do you think, Swiftfoot? Two patrols?"

"Two patrols." Swiftfoot nods. "I'll have them made up by sun-high, Rabbitstar."

"Thank you, Swiftfoot." Rabbitstar meows softly, gratefully.

The tom pauses at the exit to the den, just a mouse-length away from the lichen that keeps unwanted eyes away. He twitches his ears and, without looking, dips his head. "You're doing good, Rabbitstar. This will work. I swear to you."

* * *

><p><em>There was no warning. <em>

_One moment, the camp was quiet. The cats, though hungry, weren't more worried than usual. There were no signs that something was wrong. No foreign scents in the territory, no threats, no warnings from Starclan. The Thunderclan camp was peaceful and quiet, cats basking in the warmth of the new-leaf sun._

_The next, the direction of the wind changed. One cat, a warrior named Brackentwist, yowled a warning. But it was too late - Shadowclan scent filled the camp and dark pelted cats forced their way through the brambles that surrounded the clearing. _

_There was no reason._

_Sparrowpaw scrambled to his feet, abandoning the dove that he'd been sharing with his mentor. Over the screeching of tussling cats, he could hear his leader signal Thunderclan to fight back. _

_"Defend the kits!" Rabbitstar yowled. "Protect the elders!"_

_It was instinct that guided his pawsteps across the clearing. Instinct that told him to duck when a black she-cat came leaping at him, that told him to rear onto his hind-legs and swipe when a light brown tom tried to tackle him to the ground, that told him he had to keep moving if he didn't want to lose his tail._

_He didn't know why the camp was being raided. No cat did. But, in that moment, reasons didn't matter to them. What mattered was that blood was being spilled; and it didn't belong to the invaders._

_There were only the yowls of cats as they called out to one another, trying to survive._

* * *

><p>"Sparrowtalon. Sleetfall. Mudstreak. The three of you will be going into Shadowclan." Swiftfoot says, nodding his head at each cat in turn. "I want Sparrowtalon leading the patrol."<p>

"Sparrowtalon? Why him?" Mudstreak meows angrily.

He is older than Sparrowtalon is. More expierenced in the ways of battle. Stronger and faster. But, and this Swiftfoot knows well, he is easily angered. That isn't something that they can risk, not while they are deep in enemy territory.

"Because,' The multi-colored tom volleys back. 'I told him to. If you have an issue with that, Mudstreak, you can stay at the camp. There are plenty of other cats who can go in your stead."

For a moment, it looks like the dark brown tom is going to try and argue. Then Mudstreak is dipping his head in a sign of acceptance and moving to stand beside the other two toms he will be patrolling with.

"Good." Swiftfoot says. "I will be taking Sundapple and going to Riverclan. Hopefully, if she accompanies me, then I won't have any issues."

"Swiftfoot?" Sparrowtalon questions, flicking his ears in the direction of the deputy. "I know you said that you're going to ask if the kits and elders can stay in Riverclan's camp but...What about the sick cats?"

It's obvious who he's asking about even though he doesn't say her name. There is only one cat in Sundapple's den. The same she-cat that has been there since she really was just a kit, and not merely a full-grown cat that had never been apprenticed.

Swiftfoot's gaze softens when he looks at the tom in the middle of the group of three. The sun is glancing off of his fur, highlighting the black that streaks through brown, and giving the deputy a clear look at the hipbones jutting against pelt and the ribs that line his side. Sleetfall and Mudstreak are just as skinny, yes, but there is something about Sparrowtalon that has always held a soft-spot in Swiftfoot's heart.

"If Pebblestar accepts our request, then Rabbitstar plans on sending Flightkit to help take care of the elders." Swiftfoot meows. He catches the distraught look that flitters across Sparrowtalon's light amber eyes and is about to say more, to find some word of comfort to give the younger tom, when Rabbitstar pushes her way out of her den and calls his name.

"Swiftfoot!"

The black and white pelted deputy flicks his tail in her direction, signalling that he heard, and looks over the trio of scrawny and underfed cats that stand before him. "We leave at dusk."

* * *

><p><em>"Sparrowpaw." Rabbitstar meowed, making her way across the blood-specked clearing to the young tom.<em>

_Sparrowpaw flicked his ears in her direction, but didn't move other than that. Didn't even look up at her. He was crouched outside of the elders den, head bowed and ears flat against his skull, in the same spot that he'd been in since the fighting ended._

_"Sparrowpaw." Rabbitstar repeated, turning the name into an order. A demand for his attention. "Sundapple doesn't have enough cobwebs to treat everyone. I need you to go out and gather as many as you can."_

_This time, the urgency in her voice forced him to look up at her. Just like the warriors of Thunderclan, Rabbitstar bore signs of battle. Her thinning frame now sported a long gash from shoulder to flank, and a deep cut above one eye. But her stance was that of a leader, of a survivor, and it was what seperated her from the rest of the clan. It was what seperated her from Sparrowpaw, who looked as lost as he felt._

_But looking lost was different from being lost, and an order was an order. So, though he would rather just stay there, by his fallen mentors side, Sparrowpaw pushed himself to his paws and nodded at Rabbitstar. _

_After all, he told himself, his clan needed him._

_"I'll be back in time for his vigil." Sparrowpaw told his leader, light amber eyes never meeting her own green ones. Then, pawsteps slow and tail dragging through the scarlet spattered dirt, he made his way towards the exit of the camp._

_Later that same evening, Rabbitstar gave him his warrior name. Sparrowtalon; for he had proved himself to be a fighter, in and out of battle, and he had shown his clan that he could hold on no matter the difficulties. _

_Only moments after the ceremony ended, the clan gathered to say goodbye and watch over their fallen clan-mates. Nettlestorm was among them._

* * *

><p>"Take his offer, Sundapple." Swiftfoot tells the golden pelted she-cat, tail swishing in the direction of the fresh-kill pile. "I want you to have as much eneregy as you can before tonight."<p>

To her credit, Sundapple takes her time crossing the clearing. Despite the fact that she feels the same ache of hunger every other Thunderclan cat feels, the medicine cat takes only a single plump vole from the mound of food.

"And you, Swiftfoot?" Pebblestar questions. "Don't you need your strength just as much as she does?"

In that moment, it feels as though the eyes of every cat in Riverclan have turned to look at him. They are following their leader's orders and staying out of the fighting, most are even glad to be free of battle for once, but they are still eager to know what is going on outside of their clan. To know why Thunderclan feels the need to leave kits and elders here, in a rival clan's camp.

It's pathetic, Swiftfoot can't help but think, because they should already know the reason. Just as Pebblestar should already know the answer to his question.

"Do you know that we've had three cats die of hunger this quarter moon alone, Pebblestar?" Swiftfoot cannot help the tinge of bitterness that seeps into his voice. "Or that no cat in Thunderclan has had a full meal in moons? Not since the last time we came to your camp."

The accusation is clear but, aside from stiffening his shoulders, Pebblestar doesn't take the bait. He doesn't want to fight with Thunderclan, after all. Not now.

"No. I wasn't aware of that." The grey tom says instead. "Isn't that all the more reason for you to eat prey now, while you have the chance?"

A lapse of silence passes as the Thunderclan deputy looks at Pebblestar - only he doesn't see the well-fed leader of Riverclan. Instead, he sees a sickly she-cat that was born into a clan without enough food to keep her healthy and he sees the starving grey tom named Rainclaw, who they buried just two nights ago.

"I'm the deputy, Pebblestar." Swiftfoot finally says. "I don't have the right to eat while my clan starves. Soon, we will go into battle. Maybe tonight. Maybe in a day from now. I plan on fighting with the same strength as the rest of Thunderclan. So long as they fight hungry, I will fight hungry."

His words sparks a change in the sleek-pelted clan. Many of the cats that had been watching the exchange now turn away, shame and guilt in their eyes. Several even get up and walk away, back into their dens where they don't have to look at the starving cats sitting in their clearing, where they can continue to ignore the war that is going on in the rest of their forest.

"Swiftfoot - "Pebblestar starts, meow slightly hitched. The other tom doesn't let him get any further.

"Thunderclan thanks you for allowing our kits and elders to stay in your camp, Pebblestar." Swiftfoot tells him, dipping his head in respect. "We will send another cat along with them so that you clan-mates do not have to take care of them. As soon as Sundapple finishes her prey, we will leave."

There's no room for arguement in his words. Pebblestar knows this and so he merely bows his head to the black and white cat, showing a form of respect he doesn't normally give.

"May Starclan watch over you and your clan, Swiftfoot." He says. "And may this battle go in your favor."

* * *

><p><em>"I can't believe that you're a warrior already!" Flightkit purred, pressing her nose into the dark pelt of her friend.<em>

_The first gentle rays of sun were peaking through the trees, dappling their pelts with light, and Sparrowtalon's vigil was officially over. He was a warrior of Thunderclan now, and it made him so proud to know that he was following in both his father's and his mentor's pawsteps. He purred back and returned the gesture, breathing in that familiar scent of Flightkit's._

_"You didn't have to stay out here with me all night, you know." He meowed, a hint of amusement in his voice._

_She pulled away and tilted her head to one side, eyes sparkling with amusement. "Really? Don't tell me that you forgot what you said when we were both in the nursury!"_

_"What I said?" Sparrowtalon meowed, wrinkling his nose up in confusion. What did something that he'd said when he was a kit have to do with anything now? Then it hit him - and he saw that there was more than amusement in Flightkit's eyes, that there was a tinge of sadness buried in there too. "You mean, that we would sit our vigil together?"_

_Flightkit nods and lets out another, softer purr. "And we did, see? We sat our vigil together. Just like we promised."_

* * *

><p>The entirety of Thunderclan arrives at Four Trees just before dusk. Compared to what it once was, only seven moons ago, their numbers are painfully small. Their cats pitifully weak - with concave stomachs and skin stretched tight over bone. There is no shape to them. No strength. Just the pain of hunger and the ache that comes with little sleep.<p>

They are expecting to find Shadowclan in the dip of Four Trees. And, in a way, they do. But they also find something that they aren't expecting. Something that they aren't prepared for and never could be.

"You have to go, Swiftfoot. To Riverclan." Rabbitstar's eyes are wide when she turns to face her deputy, fear-scent coming off of her in waves. "Run as though you have all of Tigerclan on your tail, and bring back help. I do not think we can survive this battle without it."

And, while Swiftfoot doesn't want to leave his clan, his kin and his friends and his very life, he knows that Rabbitstar is right. So he turns and he runs towards the forest, not once looking back at the fight he could hear beginning. Burrs snag his fur and the undergrowth of the forest only hinders his speed - and it is the very first time that he has ever found fault with his home, with the trees that have always sheltered him from harm.

Behind him, a battle like none Thunderclan has seen before begins.

In front of him lays what could be the hardest challenge he has ever faced.

Swiftfoot all but soars through the forest and across the stream, black and white paws sending chunks of dirt and dried leaves flying behind him. He hasn't fought yet, but his muscles are already burning. Screaming at him to stop, to rest, to find somewhere and just curl up and sleep. But he doesn't, not until he skids into the Riverclan camp and collapses to the ground in a panting heap.

"Swiftfoot?" Pebblestar demands, tail lashing as he crosses the clearing. His warriors scented the Thunderclan deputy only moments ago and had let him know of his prescence. "What are you doing here?"

It's hard for Swiftfoot to answer. Every breath that he takes sends fire into his lungs. Every time he tries to move, it feels as though he has just run from the Moonstone and back. When he does manage to lift his head, it is to gaze out on a well-fed clan - and his eyes are filled with sorrow and anger and pain.

"Please, Pebblestar." Swiftfoot begs between pants. "We need your help. Windclan showed up at the battle with Shadowclan. There are so many of them there, and my clan has gotten so weak. We won't last through the battle without your help, Pebblestar."

A heavy silence settles over the camp, like mist on a cold morning. Sleek-pelted and well-fed Riverclan cats come out of their dens, crowding around the tired tom-cat. There is guilt in their eyes but no cat answers him. No cat offers their help.

"Pebblestar." Swiftfoot meows again, pushing himself up on to trembling legs. "Thunderclan needs your help."

Pebblestar's tail twitches and he gives a slow shake of his head. It is hard for him to do this, to tell another warrior 'no' when he asks for help. But it must be done and he knows it - after all, no matter how much he respects the Thunderclan deputy, his own clan comes first.

"I'm sorry, Swiftfoot. Riverclan cannot help you." Pebblestar says, voice thick with regret. There is also a finality in his tone, something that says his answer is not one to be argued with.

"No?" The black and white tom demands, fury rising to replace the tired ache flowing through him. "What do you mean 'no'? How can you deny us your aid when we have come to your rescue so often in the past?"

And they have. Thunderclan has been there whenever Riverclan called.

They were there when a storm caused the Riverclan camp to flood, and lost three warriors pulling the rival cats from the rushing waters.

They were there when dogs tried to settle on the edge of the gorge, favoring the water-dwelling cats over those who lived on the moore.

They were there when Dawnshine, Riverclan's former Medicine Cat, passed away from Green-cough without ever taking an apprentice. It was Sundapple who taught Lilystream how to treat her clans injuries.

And now? Now they are denying Thunderclan aid when they need it most? The thought sickens Swiftfoot. When he looks over the cats gathered around him, it is with disgust and scorn in his eyes.

"Will none of you help us?" Swiftfoot demands. "Or will you all just stay here, knowing that my clan is being slaughtered by the claws of your neighbors?"

Lilystream shoulders her way through the crowd, long ginger fur making her stand out against the backdrop of grays and browns. "You have to understand, Swiftfoot. If it was up to us, than we would all be out there fighting with you. But Starclan has told us not to. This fight is yours, not ours."

"That's ridiculous!"

The yowl comes from the back of the clan and, for a moment, Swiftfoot is hoping that somecat is standing up against that outrageous statement. But no Riverclan cat comes foreward. Instead, it is a frail grey she-cat that he knows all too well.

"Are you trying to tell me that Starclan told you to let us die?" Flightkit demands - and even though her voice is as soft as it always is, it rings through out the clearing. "I don't believe that for a moment. Starclan would never just abandon us, no matter what you or Sundapple or anyone else believes."

She would know that more than anycat, Swiftfoot thinks, for if Starclan wanted them to die then she would be the first one to go.

"Flightkit - " Lilystream starts, trying to tell the other she-cat the message that she had been given. She doesn't get a chance.

"No." Flightkit closes her eyes and gives a slow shake of her head. "We don't need to hear your excuses. Thunderclan will be waiting for someone to join them in battle. I'll go with you, Swiftfoot, but you'll have to show me how to get there."

Because, as everyone knew, Flightkit had never been to a gathering. She had never been into the forest before. Never once been trained as a warrior.

Yet she is the only cat that leaves with Swiftfoot, to fight in a battle like no other.

* * *

><p><em>"Badgerstar and Heatherstar..." Sparrowtalon started, eyes wide as he looked at the plae grey she-cat standing just outside of the medicine cat's den. "They said that they need our territory. That we've had too much for too long and they're going to take what should be theirs."<em>

_Flightkit nodded but didn't say anything. Instead, she tilted her head and beckoned for Sparrowtalon to continue. She knew him, after all, and she knew that he needed to get it all out. So she sat there and she listend to the tom tell her all the horrors that took place at his first Gathering as a warrior - how Windclan and Shadowclan both demanded prey and more territory, how they threatened Rabbitstar and promised to kill off her clan if she refused, and, worst of all, how Starclan showed no disapproval at their actions._

_"I was terrified, Flightkit!" He finally meowed, voice shaking as bad as the she-cats body often did. "And, now, Rabbitstar says that we're all at war!"_

_"It will be okay, Sparrowtalon." She meowed, standing up and walking over to him. She pressed her nose into his dark fur, breathing in the scent of the forest that always seemed to hang over him. "You're a wonderful warrior. Nettlestorm trained you well. Even if we do have to fight them, it won't be any problem for you!"_

_And she was right. Nettlestorm had made sure that Sparrowtalon was well trained. That he could handle any sort of creature, be it cat or dog or badger, that came after him. Only, he wasn't worried for himself._

_"But what about you?" Sparrowtalon asked, and there was a hint of desperation in his voice. "What about you, Flightkit? I don't want you to get hurt!"_

_Breath catching in her throat, Flightkit only pressed her muzzle harder against the tom. Not to comfort him anymore, but so that he couldn't see the worry that filled her eyes. Couldn't see that she was afraid of getting hurt, because she had no idea how to fight or survive outside of the camp. But, more than that, she was afraid he would never come back to her._

_"I'll be fine." She told him - and there was no way that he couldn't tell she was lieing, not with the way she sounded. "Don't worry about me, Sparrowtalon. Just make sure that you come back safely, no matter what happens!"_

_Sparrowtalon gave a jerky nod, unable to form any words to answer her with. The two cats stood there like that, nose to shoulder, until Swiftfoot came and called the dark pelted tom-cat away for patrol. _

_As the two toms walk away together, Sparrowtalon looked over his shoulder at Flightkit again, expecting her to still be watching him and standing just as strong as she always did. _

_Only the she-cat had already slipped back into Sundapple's den._

* * *

><p>"She wanted to be a warrior more than anything." Sparrowtalon meows, and there is something strange about the look in his eyes. Something that isn't just sorrow and isn't just anger but far more personal, far more severe.<p>

Rabbitstar lowers her gaze to the blood soaked body at her warrior's paws. "She died as a warrior, Sparrowtalon. Flightkit got her wish."

And that, Swiftfoot knows, is the wrong thing to say. But it is too late to warn his leader to change her wording, to offer comfort in a different way. Sparrowtalon has already sprung to his paws - and he can tell what that look in his eyes is now. He can plainly see disgust there, swimming in the pool of molten amber.

"Her 'wish' was to be a real part of this clan!" The dark tom snarls, tail lashing behind him. "For you to finally see that even though she was still sick, she could fight and hunt like everyone else! That she didn't need to be a kit anymore, that she never needed to be kept as one!"

Because, if she was nothing else, Flightkit had been able to stand her own ground. She had always been able to stand on her own, even when she was confined to the medicine cat's den. She was always loyal to Rabbitstar, doing whatever her leader said, even when it meant never becoming a true warrior, when it meant that no cat ever looked at her with respect. And, Sparrowtalon thinks bitterly, isn't that what it means to be a warrior?

"You told her that she was too frail to be trained and that Sundapple didn't need a second apprentice. She listened. You told her that there was no place in this battle for her. She didn't argue. You sent her to Riverclan, knowing that she may never have a chance to leave there. She followed your orders. You called for help, and she came." Sparrowtalon continues. "So tell me, Rabbitstar, what right do you have to still be calling her a kit when she just died for you?"

The tan she-cat opens her mouth to speak, only to close it without uttering a word. She cannot think of any answer to give the tom. When she looks at Swiftfoot, she sees no solution in his eyes.

Around the trio of cats, the rest of Thunderclan is slowley gathering. Sundapple is only one cat, after all, and even with Smokepaw's help she cannot treat everyone at once. So the cats that are waiting to be looked at, the ones that are still able to move on their own, make their way over to the outburst.

They too are silent, though. After all, what answer can they give to young Sparrowtalon? As none of them stood up for Flightkit's right to be trained, they cannot give any.

In the end, just as it is so very often, it is Swiftfoot that speaks first.

"We're all sorry that she fell during the battle, Sparrowtalon,' the deputy says. 'but I think I speak for all of us when I say that we will forever see her as a warrior."

Sleetfall meows his agreement, followed by Shadedpaw. Then Mousefoot and Leafshade. Cloudpatch and Thornstrike - and soon the whole of Thunderclan has made it known that they view the fallen she-cat as nothing less than a warrior meant to be respected.

Stepping towards Sparrowtalon, who is still standing over Flightkit's torn body, Rabbitstar points her muzzle at the star dotted sky.

"I, Rabbitstar, call upon the cats of Starclan and ask them to grace this name. From this moment forward, this brave she-cat shall forever be known as Flightheart!" Rabbitstar yowls. "For she truly embodied the spirit that every warrior should!"

It is silent for a split-second, and then the cats of Thunderclan take up the customary cry. Among the fallen bodies of kin and friends, despite the fact that their clan is no more and they lost the battle, they cheer on the newest warrior of Thunderclan.

"Flightheart! Flightheart! Flightheart!" The name rings through the clearing, piercing the still night air. When the chanting stops, Swiftfoot moves to stand beside his leader.

"Flightheart is just as much a warrior as you are, now." The black and white tom says. He is planning on adding on more, on wishing comfort upon the one warrior he has always been just a little too fond of, when Sparrowtalon shakes his head.

"You don't understand. None of you do." Sparrowtalon says. "Giving her a warrior name now? What does that accomplish? She isn't alive to go on patrols. To go to gatherings. To help protect her clan. All that calling her that name does is tell me that you want to cover up your mistakes!"

Rabbitstar shakes her head, green eyes wide. "That's not true, Sparrowtalon! I'm giving her this name out of respect!"

"Respect?" Sparrowtalon snorts. "You don't respect her. You never did - and she knew that. Why else do you think she tried so hard to get you to apprentice her? Naming her now doesn't show respect! It shows that you were too blind to see the cat she was before she died!"

It's the truth, plain as that. Swiftfoot knows it. Rabbitstar knows it. The other warriors know it - and they are all ashamed over it. Really though, they all wonder, what can they do about it now? The past is the past. They cannot change the fact that they didn't recognize Flightheart for what she truly was. They can only honour her by telling her story to future kits, and by giving her the name of a warrior for her life in Starclan.

"There isn't any point argueing with him right now, Rabbitstar." Swiftfoot says with a weary sigh, turning his tired gaze onto the injured form of his leader. "We need to focus on helping Sundapple and getting the clan ready to move. You heard Badgerstar. He'll be back tomorrow. We need to be gone by then."

Rabbitstar nods but stands and looks at the two cats in front of her for a moment longer. Both of their pelts are stained with blood; from the enemy, from themselves, and from each other. Both are too thin to have been asked to fight. Both too young to be forced to try and stop the massacre that just took place. But where Sparrowtalon had been trained in the ways of war, Flightheart had not been. In more ways than one, she had been nothing more than an over-grown kit when she died.

"I am so sorry that she didn't make it, Sparrowtalon." She says, voice laden with regret. "But Swiftfoot is right. We need to get ready to move."

Sparrowtalon wrinkles his nose, pulling his lips away from his fangs. There is disgust in his voice when he speaks. "I'm not leaving here!"

"What?" Swiftfoot demands, though really he isn't that surprised.

"I said I'm not leaving here. Not with you." Sparrowtalon spits out. "My mentor has been dead for moons. Sandcloud died in this battle, and so did Flightheart. Why should I keep struggling to stay a part of Thunderclan when I don't even know if we'll survive? Not because I respect it's leader. Not because I have kin, or even just a cat that I really care about."

"You'll be killed if you stay here!" Sleetfall shouts, pushing his way to the front of the crowd.

"And I won't if I go?" Sparrowtalon snorts again and shakes his head. "I can survive on my own just fine. I don't need the help of Thunderclan. You'll just let me down again, just like you let Flightheart down."

There are more protests made but nothing that is said changes Sparrowtalon's mind. He has lost everything in this last battle, breaking the only promise that he has ever made

-_ "You'll be a great warrior one day, Flightkit! I promise you that!" -_

and taking the only cat that ever meant anything to him. The only cat that had always, truly and completely, deserved to be a warrior.

But he will not leave Flightheart's body, and he will not move it until a vigil has been sat. So, as Thunderclan mills around him, preparing for a journey into a land unknown, he crouches by her side and bows his head and wonders whether Starclan deserves to be spoken to.

* * *

><p><em>It had been a moon and a half since the gathering where Badgerstar and Heatherstar announced their plans to take Thunderclan's territory. Prey had grown sparse, kept away by two more clans hunting in the forest and a sudden draught that had been drying up all the small creeks and streams. Cats had grown weak because there wasn't enough prey to go around. They had grown wary because there was always the risk of an enemy cat lurking in the shadows.<em>

_No place was safe. No cat was healthy. No one would offer help._

_So Rabbitstar decided that she needed to go to the Moonstone and see if Starclan would speak with her. Swiftfoot, Mudstreak, and Sparrowtalon made up the patrol to accompany her there. _

_It was a long treck, one that went without a single stop. They were afraid that, if they did, then the Windclan patrol that caught them would kill them on the spot. And then what would become of Thunderclan? They would die with no leader and no deputy, and two warriors down besides them. So the four cats kept to the shadows and clumps of gorse and they crept their way to the cave that lay on the far edge of any territory._

_Rabbitstar went in alone. The other three cats sat down outside of the caverns mouth and relished in the chance to sit without fear of being attacked. It didn't take long for Mudstreak, who had been coughing and wheezing the entire journey, to fall into a sound slumber. It was the first one that he'd had in many nights._

_Sparrowtalon layed down beside a small rock, dark pelt pressed against its cool surface. He'd made this trip once before, when he was an apprentice, but it hadn't seemed so long then. It hadn't left his muscles aching and him longing to just curl back up in his den and sleep for moons. For a while, Swiftfoot paced outside of the dark opening in the rock wall. But, as the sun sunk lower and lower in the sky, he too joined the younger tom by the rocks._

_They layed there all night and long into the next day, with Mudstreak resting just a few tail-lengths away from them. Just before morning, the brown tom stopped coughing in his sleep._

_Mudstreak didn't return home with them. Starclan never didn't speak to Rabbitstar. They had been offered no answers._

* * *

><p>"Swiftfoot?" Ivykit calls, easily squeezing into the opening of the rock cave that serves as the elders den. "Are you awake?"<p>

Lifting his head from his forepaws, Swiftfoot gives a slow blink of his eyes. Movements stilted from age and old wounds, he pushes himself to his paws and gives a short stretch. "I am now, kit. What can I do for you?"

Ivykit shuffles her dark brown forepaw against the stone flooring. In the shade that the rock over-hang gives off, her long pelt turns almost black. "Well, I was hoping you could tell me a story? Momma said that it was alright, as long as you didn't mind."

Letting out an amused purr, Swiftfoot flicks his ears at the young she-cat. What would he be doing, really? There were no other elders in Thunderclan. No warriors with enough free-time to gossip with an old tom-cat. And Shadedstar has a new deputy with new ideas to guide him. There was no real need for an elder out in the mountains.

"Of course I'm not busy!" He tells Ivykit. Settling back down in his nest of lichen and dried leaves, he wraps his tail around his paws and motions for the kit to come and sit beside him. "And I would love to tell you a story."

"Thank you, Swiftfoot!" Ivykit chirps, bouncing over to join him in the nest. After she settles down beside him, she tilts her head and asks, 'What kind of story are you going to tell me today?"

The aged deputy is silent for a moment as he thinks. He could tell her the story of the three clans of old; Lionclan, Tigerclan, and Leopardclan. He could tell her the tale of Rabbitstar's death; leading the patrol that chased a bearcub away from the new camp. He could even recount the journey from the forest to their new home, out here in the mountains, hidden away among the rocks. But Swiftfoot knows that any warrior could tell Ivykit about those things. So, instead, he closes his eyes and brings up the memory of two brave warriors, ones that did what they were told until the very end.

"I'm going to tell you a story about a better time. A place that we used to know, back when we had a life that no cat could touch. It's about a place that we used to call home and the one warrior who refused to leave it, and the memories it held, behind." Swiftfoot tells her, voice dropping low.

And, in his mind, he can clearly see the battle-worn tom and the disgust that he held in his eyes when he looked upon Thunderclan for the last time.

* * *

><p><em>The angry and the desperate,<br>The hungry and the cold,  
>All those who kept quiet,<br>Always did what they were told_


End file.
